Archive for October, 2007

In the Celtic year, according to legend, Samhain was a day outside of the normal year. On this day, it is said that the veil between the spirit world and our world is thin, allowing communication with the dead, as well as other forms of divination.

On a more practical note, this was also a time for the peasents and farmers to take stock of what they had: all the food supplies and all the cattle. If there was not enough food to keep the family and the livestock alive, the herd would have to be culled. Samhain, then, is a time to cast off the baggage, the things that hold you down, as well as a time to say final farewells to the dead.

There were no deaths in my life this year, thankfully. As far as baggage is concerned, I don’t see any of that, either. The only main loss this year was my divorce, which was, in many ways, a gain and not a loss.

However, though I know of none, I cast off any baggage from my marriage and divorce, and move on. I hope she does to.

Happy Halloween!

This post was edited on Dec 14, 2007. I noticed a factual error. Oops!

The otter and I just watched The Shining last night. Neither of us have read the book, so, based on the movie:

1) Does Jack Torrence “shine”? Is this why he is vulnerable to the “shining” of the Overlook? Is this why he drinks? Remember, Halloran says that some people don’t realize that they shine, and that his own grandmother did shine, implying heredity in…um…shininess.

2)What was the narrative purpose of showing Halloran sit around, make phone calls, get on a plane, and drive to the Overlook for his BRIEF scene with Jack? Was he the reason Wendy starts to see other inhabitants of the Overlook?

3)Was Lloyd an inhabitant of the Overlook, or was he Jack’s own “little boy who lives in my mouth,” like Danny’s Tony?

4) When was Jack’s point of no return? Was it when he takes the “drink” from Lloyd? Or was it on the way to the Overlook? Before then, even?

5) Was Jack a reincarnation of a previous caretaker, or did he get absorbed by the Overlook?

Wow. It’s been a while since I’ve done this. I’ve listened to a lot of things, so lets just do the one’s I’ve really liked.

Spoon-Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. I thought I had already reviewed this one, but I guess not. Anyway, It’s a great album, though not as good as Kill The Moonlight. The opening track, “Don’t Make Me a Target,” rocks, “I’ve Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” makes no sense but still stands out, “The Underdog” has a kind of early ’80s Billy Joel sound (back when he didn’t suck), and “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case” is one of my favorites. Lyrically, “Black Like Me” is probably the most meaningful (“Black Tar in Summer/will do a job on your sole/Black Tar in Summer/will do a job on your soul”). The only song that doesn’t work is “The Ghost of You Lingers”, in which the melody is too hard to find. I like challenging music, but this song just doesn’t go with the rest of the album.

“You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”:

The High Strung-Get the Guests. This one took a few listens to digest just becaue of the sheer number of songs. “What a Meddler!” sets the pace for the rest of the album. In brief, the High Strung combine elements of Disco, Punk, and Twee, making them difficult to compare to any other bands. My favorite tracks are the opener, “Childhood,” “Watch Me Sustain The Early Days,” “There Was No One Before You, There Was No One Before Me,” and “Arrow.”

“Childhood”:

Radiohead-In Rainbows. I haven’t had this one long enough to let it digest, but so far, I’d say that there is no filler. Every song is good. I SWEAR. I love Radiohead, and I rarely find fault with them, but on their last two albums, I could point to a couple of filler songs. This album has less electronic stuff than Hail to the Thief. There’s a drum machine, but little else that doesn’t sound like they’ve just come from OK Computer, and Yorke’s voice is clearer and more intelligible than it’s been in a long time. “15 Steps” is great, “Bodysnatchers” rocks in the same way that Hail‘s “2+2=5” did, and “Faust Arp” is a non-stop string of lyrics like “Wolf at the Door” from Hail. Nothing on this album sounds like Yorke’s solo album…this is Radiohead, as they should have been when they released Kid A.